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Shukra
Despite being a relatively new Jedi Knight, Shukra is something of an enigmatic unknown to most people - even those familiar with the members of the Order. Background : A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... The year is 0 BBY and a young man by the name of Luke Skywalker has just helped strike a ruthless blow against the Empire by sabotaging and destroying their super-weapon, the Death Star... However, this story has nothing to do with him at all. While the majority of the galaxy turned its universal eyes toward bigger things, deep in the backwaters of the Y’toub system, on a peaceful, all but forgotten world named Datar, a Rebel Alliance outpost was attacked by the Empire. The destruction was monumental, not only to the rebels, but to the forest around the base. Fires raged deep into the once-secretive green and left the land scarred long after Imperial forced left the ashes behind. The tribal territory of one group of Ghostling’s was obliterated and a number were killed or wounded – including Brynnyn Fyr, who died in the flames, and his wife, Awyyn who was wounded nearly to death. Her battered body was brought to the chief healer, Augrynn, and he did his best to save her; but it was all to no avail. She died before she could even speak the name of her daughter, and Augrynn was silent for a time. Among the Ghostlings, such a misfortunate beginning foretold great enough doom on the child’s life without casting the stones of Fate to decipher her future. Tradition held that the parents would each draw a single stone from the bag guarded with jealous secrecy by the high healer on the event of their child’s birth; each stone telling part of their fate. However, this babe was an orphan and it fell to Augrynn himself to draw her lots in life... A small gasp and murmur passed through the group of Ghostlings, some backing away a pace when the two crystals caught the light. One was the rare sapphire hued stone which foretold of unusual healing powers, foresight and purity of spirit; while the other was the dark, clouded silver orb known for calming strength and its pall of utter uncertainty. At length, Augrynn considered the crystals: “This child was meant for higher things and darker ways than are natural for our people.” He spoke, cradling the cooing infant with one arm and holding the crystals high in his other hand as he stood beside her mother’s body. “Her fates are cast. A healer she shall be – and my apprentice…though clouded, her future may be. To combat the darkness, I invoke the name of Shukra, our brightest star – so shall she be called. It shall guide and guard her in all of her ways.” And so, Shukra Fyr was born. Throughout her childhood, the young Ghostling was raised by the oft-times eccentric High Healer who taught her of all living things and their eternal inter-connection with each other. How everything, regardless of how intangible it may be, was linked. Starlight and water; the leaves of trees and the sky; Ghostlings and even the earth below which they never touched with their feet unless they ventured down to the darkest, most dangerous lower levels to seek out the crystals of fate in the waters that swirled and eddied in shadow. Her own crystals, as was tradition, hung in an intricate talisman about her neck, day and night. Once given, the fate crystals must remain with the Ghostling in one form or another as long as they lived, only to be returned to the current High Healer upon their death so that they might be renewed in foretelling the fate of a new child in the future. Shukra grew up a happy, quiet child and conscientious pupil to Augrynn; but from an early age, he told her again and again: “You will not remain here on Datar. Your pathway leads through the stars. One day, outsiders shall come and open the road for you and you must take it. When that day comes, you must not look back – even if no goodbyes shall be said. I shall know you have gone and bid you blessing.” '' That day came when Shukra had only just neared her sixteenth year, and it changed her life forever. A strange dream woke her from slumber one night. In her mind’s eye, she saw two strangers in trouble and instinctively knew where they were and that she must help them. Looking back just once at the sleeping form of her life-long mentor, Shukra left him and traveled along the highway of tree branches until she came to the clearing of the ruined rebel base. Though she hardly knew why, the Ghostling left the trees and found a door in the ground which opened easily and entered. Through a dark tunnel, she found the two strangers, two Jedi trapped in an underground bunker and wounded. Beckoning to the man, Vaedun, she led him through the darkness as he carried the prone body of his partner, Mira to the outdoors. There, as indicated by the signs she gave him, he laid her on the ground and Shukra held her hands over the deadly wound on Mira's chest for a time. Slowly, the Jedi’s breathing returned to normal and she regained consciousness. They were not yet out of danger, however, as the lackeys of the bounty hunter that had placed the Jedi into this fix were still lingering at the ruined landing pad around their ship. While Vaedun parried their blaster fire, Shukra did her best to help Mira toward the ramp, only to be struck by a stray bolt that shattered her shoulder and several ribs. The last thing she recalled was the blinding pain... and then, only darkness. When Shukra woke again, it was a shock at first to find herself in a strange room on an unknown bed; but the Ghostling took it in stride. When she was well enough to speak to the kind Jedi who cared for her, a protocol droid was brought in for the task of translation as she could scarcely speak Basic. Explaining how she saw Mira and Vaedun in a dream was not easy; but to her surprise, the Jedi understood. As they gently enlightened her about the Force and themselves, she began to comprehend how important it was – how all of this was nothing but an extension of the fate Augrynn had foretold. Keenly intelligent; and with a voracious appetite for knowledge, she agreed wholeheartedly to remain with them and learn. But first, she was given time to heal and acclimate herself to her new surroundings. Everything seemed a wonder to the eyes of someone who had never seen technology in her lifetime. The ships and droids seemed more “magical” than the power of the Force, and she often found herself in the temple hangar watching people from the shadows shyly. Trial and Error ''“What kind of creature do you call yourself?” Shukra was startled from what she thought was a good hiding place one morning as she watched the mechanics at work. Looking up, she saw the furry face of a female Bothan peering at her curiously from the hatch of a sleek, silver bullet of a ship. Both hands were on her hips and one ear twitched as her eyes scanned over the Ghostling. “I- I am Shukra Fyr,” she stumbled over her Basic as she stepped from the shadows. '' “No, I mean –what- are you?”'' The Bothan asked again, quizzically. “For a sec, I thought the hanger was haunted. You look like a spook… Anyways, my name’s Laikah.” As different as these two were, somehow, they became the best of friend in a very short time. Whenever Shukra was not with her Master, Kai, she was with Laikah, who took it upon herself to teach the completely ignorant Ghostling everything she possibly could about ships, droids, computers and machinery in general. She even dedicated the Nubian H-type yacht she had been tinkering with for three years refurbishing to her little friend, naming it the Phantasm. Laikah was the daredevil of the pair. No excitement or danger was too much for her, and she was forever getting Shukra and herself into fixes that took cunning to escape – much to Master Kai’s dislike. Many times he chided her for following such a reckless leader; but he couldn’t keep the two of them apart. In spite of his foreboding feelings toward the Bothan’s influence on Shukra, the Ghostling remained a quiet pupil who learned quickly and always remained calm and passive. In some ways, she was an anchor for Laikah… but sadly, it was not enough to prevent tragedy in the end. How or why it happened, nobody has ever been certain. But shortly after Laikah became a knight, she followed the trail of a darksider to Manaan and did not return. When Shukra followed her, it was the first and only time she truly disobeyed Master Kai. Finding her friend there, she was terrified to realize she no longer knew this being. She was changed inside, consumed by a blackness of spirit that lashed out in malice at Shukra without provocation and forced her to fight. Reckless and raging, Laikah mis-stepped only once as she tried to lop off her friend’s head and Shukra’s saber blade drove straight through the Bothan’s heart. One look of mutual hurt and betrayal passed between them before Laikah died. For days after returning home to the temple, nobody could get a word out of the Ghostling. She just secluded herself in her room and neither ate nor slept until Master Kai convinced her to take a walk with him in the sunlight. They spoke seriously about her grief and Kai told her solemnly that the only way this darkness that consumed her friend tragically could scar her forever and mar her memory was if Shukra let it do so. She tried to take it to heart, but she concealed something from her master even as they spoke… the troubled spirit of her friend still lingered. Having taken Laikah’s lightsaber and kept it in her room, since the horrible day of her death, the dark ghost came and went erratically, calling down her pain and fury on Shukra. By no means had she really been alone in her room. For almost a month, the Ghostling suffered the strain of striving with her dead friend’s spirit, trying to help her, and it was almost the ruin of her. When Master Kai finally discovered what was going on, it was too late to interfere… and there was no real need. At the very last, the fury in Laikah finally seemed to dissipate as she and Shukra made their peace. Her spirit was never heard from or seen again; but the Ghostling was forever changed by the crucible of experience. She became more thoughtful, quiet and introverted than before – though no less empathetic and caring. After all was said and done, Kai found her to be steadier on her feet as a Jedi, and less prone to attachment and emotion. Just before her twentieth year, Shukra Fyr was born anew as a Jedi knight – though she, herself, did not agree that she was entirely ready. Being a strictly obedient padawan now though, she did ascent to their wishes and accepted her new role with grace. However, preferring the passive, diplomatic approach to most situations, her abilities are still best used in healing and helping others in her own gentle way. Saber Serendipity Even from the earliest days of her training, Master Kai knew that the duel-crystal talisman around Shukra’s neck contained two crystals that would make powerful lightsabers, he said nothing. He knew it was something she had to learn for herself. When the time was right, she would become enlightened as to their power – and so it was. A single, full-sized saber was cumbersome to the petite Ghostling and difficult to wield. However, she dutifully went through the grueling training, learning great control in the defensive arts until shortly after the ordeal with Laikah. It was in the solitude of her rooms as she meditated on all that had occured that the idea came to her that she needed to approach the problem differently. Guided by that same instinct that lead her through the Datarine forest to find two lost Jedi, she carefully took apart her treasured talisman and slowly, lovingly crafted two shoto sabers. The one blade was brilliant sapphire, while the other bright silver; and neither “buzzed” like normal lightsabers. Instead, both resonate on two harmonious frequencies that seem to have calming, healing qualities – sounding more like ethereal music than anything else. Phantasm After Laikah’s death, for a time, the ship she spent so many years working on remained unused and collecting dust in the Jedi temple hangar. Eventually though, Master Kai convinced his pupil that it was almost dishonor to her friend’s memory that she would let the ship go to waste. She wouldn’t have wanted her to treasure it like a figurine on a shelf. And so, eventually, the Ghostling took the controls of the Phantasm and made it her own. Now, it’s become commonplace to see the diminutive being travel the galaxy in the sleek Nubian H-Type Yacht. It suits her diplomatic pursuits well; especially considering the fact that the ship is completely without weaponry of any kind. Personality In all things, Shukra is exceedingly gentle and caring. It is in her nature to be empathetic toward others' feelings and physical pains... And frankly (at times) this causes her to fall just short of being a hypochondriac. First and foremost, Shukra abhors violence and conflict; preferring to mend rifts and heal wounds. She always tries to take the diplomatic approach; but her unusual accent and somewhat strangely constructed vocabulary make carrying out conversations a little difficult. Much of the time, she must trust her actions to speak louder than words; and generally they do. In spite of her otherwise passive and calm nature, she is capable of being drawn into a fight for the sake of self-defense and defending others - but only in extreme cases. Being a fragile Ghostling, her graceful combat style relies largely upon dexterity and avoidance of blows rather than parrying and striking - if she is forced into a fight. Quotes "I am a doctor - NOT a barfly, Barrien!" Category:Characters Category:Characters by species Category:Characters by homeworld Category:Jedi